A 5½- to 6½-quart oven ought to serve two to 4 individuals, and we expect this dimension will work for many cooking duties. If you happen to’re feeding a crowd, you may need to bump as much as a 7-, 9-, and even 13-quart model. Remember the fact that the larger the oven, the heavier and tougher it is going to be to maneuver round a kitchen, particularly when it’s brimming with chili. With regards to form, a spherical Dutch oven will work higher on the spherical burners of most stoves, whereas an oval oven might warmth much less evenly and be tough to suit on a small stovetop. Nonetheless, an oval oven will be helpful for giant, lengthy roasts like a tenderloin. It’ll in fact match properly on an oval burner, and it must also work nice on a big spherical burner for one thing like a braise, which you begin on the range and end within the oven.